Molded dispensing stand



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26, l965 INVENTOR EUGENE G. CASTAGNA BY J--H 1967 E. G. CASTAGNA MOLDED DISPENSING STAND 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 26, 1965 FIG.6

FIG.8

l N V E NTOR v EUGENE G. CASTAGNA A O R N E YS United States Patent 3,300,097 MOLDED DISPENSING STAND Eugene G. Castagna, Clark, N.J., assignor to Chevron Research Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 435,440 3 Claims. (Cl. 222185) This invention relates to a dispenser stand and more particularly to a molded plastics stand adapted to support a container.

The object of the present invention is an attractive, easily maintained dispensing stand particularly useful in the dispensing of material in metered quantities from a container supported by the stand.

A further object of the present invention is a dispenser stand that may be easily molded of plastics material in a manner providing for thin mating sections of the plastics material so as to form an unusually sturdy stand.

Further objects and features of the invention will be fully apparent to those skilled in the art from the specification and appended drawings illustrating a certain preferred embodiment in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates the dispenser stand as it is initially molded and before it is assembled into the final stand configuration.

FIGURE 2 is a locking bar for use in assembling the dispenser stand.

FIGURE 3 is a metering cup adapted to be supported in the assembled dispenser stand.

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of the assembled dispenser stand.

FIGURE 5 is a left side elevational view of the dispenser stand.

FIGURE 6 is a right side elevational view of the dispenser stand.

FIGURE 7 is a rear elevational view of the dispenser stand.

FIGURE 8 is a top plan view of the dispenser stand.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken along the lines 9-9 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view taken along the lines 1010 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view taken along the lines 1111 of FIGURE 5 and showing a partial section through a locking pin and slot of the dispenser stand.

FIGURE 12 is a sectional view taken along the lines 12-12 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view taken along lines 1313 of FIGURE 4.

The dispenser stand of the present invention is preferably molded of a light-weight plastics material. One of the materials contemplated is polypropylene selected because of its durability, flexibility and light weight. The stand is initially molded in two half sections joined at a central hinge, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, with each of the halves adapted with c-ooperable mating surfaces. As shown in FIGURE 1, the left side 11 is adapted with male extensions along the edge surfaces as at 12 While the righthand half 13 is adapted with female openings at 14 positioned to cooperate with the male extensions. The thin section hinge surface is illustrated at 15 extending from the top to the bottom of each of the halves 11 and 13. A pair of larger mating extensions 16 are provided on the left-hand half 11 of the stand and these extensions are adapted to project through openings 17 in the right-hand half 13 to insure proper alignment of a portion of the stand.

When the two halves are folded toward each other the stand assemblies to a formation providing a base, a supporting structure, a container holder, and a metering cup holder. The mating extensions and holes cause the "ice two halves to be properly aligned and the locking bar 26 of FIGURE 2 secures the two halves together. The metering cup of FIGURE 3 further cooperates with portions of each half of the stand to insure proper alignment as well as to function as a metering device.

As illustrated in FIGURES 48, the dispensing stand, when assembled, constitutes the pedestal or base at 21, the supporting structure at 22 With its reinforcing rib 23, the container holder 24 and the metering cup holder 25. In its assembled position the male extensions 12 engage the female openings 14 along the exterior edges of the base 21, the supporting structure 22 and the exterior edges of the container support 24. At the area of the container support 24, the larger mating extensions 16 on the lefthand half extend through the holes 17 of the right-hand half and provide a secure latch for holding the two half sections together. These extensions may be peened or heat formed by suitable means to lock the two halves in secure engagement. At the front of each half of the base 21 an extension 18 is formed with an exterior dovetail formation. These extensions become aligned with each other and are adapted to be engaged by a complementarily formed locking bar 26 to hold the halves of base of the stand in firm engagement. The locking arrangement is particularly illustrated in FIGURES 8 and 13 where the bar 26 is shown in its engaged position with the dovetail form of the extensions 18.

The supporting structure 22 and its reinforcing member 23 provide a smooth molded body portion with a strong reinforcing member locked to each other by the extension 16 and by the hinge 15 between the rightand left-hand halves.

The metering cup holder 25 is adapted to support the metering cup 30 illustrated in FIGURE 3. The dispensing portion is a molded cup-shaped member formed about a central axis with a molded protrusion 31 at one end and a shaft 32 and handle 33 at the other. A shouldered locking surface is provided at 34 and a metering cup 35 si molded between the protrusion and the end of the shaft. The cup-shaped member is adapted to be inserted through the enlarged opening 19 in the righthand side 13 until the shoulder 34 engages the outside surface at the right-hand side of the metering section 25. The protrusion 31 becomes journaled in a hole 20 in the left-hand side 11 to complete the support of the metering cup.

As illustrated in FIGURES 9 and 12, the right-hand side of the assembled dispenser stand at the base of the container support is provided with an extension 41 that is adapted to be aligned with a groove 36 cut in the shoulder 34 as the dispensing cup is assembled into the stand. The cup may then be turned so that the extension 41 cooperates with the shoulder to hold the cup in the stand. The extension 41 also is adapted to be engaged by molded barriers 37 and 38 on the shoulder so as to provide limits for the rotation of the cup member in the stand. It may be seen that with extension 37 engaging the stop 41 the opening in the cup member Will be positioned to receive the material to be dispensed and that when the stop 38 is engaging the member 41 the cup member will have been rotated to discharge the material from the cup.

The container holder 24 is formed of two generally half-cylindrical members molded in each of the leftand right-hand valves of the stand. When assembled as a stand these two half-cylindrical members are aligned to hold a container for the material to be dispensed. At the inside surfaces of these two half cylinders conventional threads 42 are molded into each of the half sections so that a container may be threaded into the dispensing stand. Each half section is provided with a cut-out por- 3 tion at 43 through which the container may be viewed to determine the level of the material within the container.

The molded dispenser stand of the present invention provides a sturdy light-weight holder and metering device for the dispensing of granular materials. The formation of the dispenser stand in two half sections provides an ease of molding from the plastics material without the need of removable core sections while at the same time providing a permanent joint between the two half sections so that the sections may always be properly aligned. The molding of the structure in two half sections permits the internal details of the stand to be carefully controlled both in the formation of mating locking members and in the formation of molded threads and aligned bearing surfaces.

While a certain preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically disclosed, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpretation within the terms of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A molded dispensing stand for flexible plastics material comprising a base portion, a support member molded to said base portion, a container holder molded to said support member, a reinforcing rib molded to said support member and said container holder, and a metering cup mounted on the base of said container holder to provide a control for a passage extending from said container holder toward said base member, said dispensing stand being initially molded in two half sections with a thin section flexible hinge of said plastics material joining mating half sections of said reinforcing rib and attaching said two half sections to each other and providing a hinge surface for the alignment of the half sections.

2. A dispenser molded of flexible plastics material comprising:

two mating half sections including longitudinal structural portions, each. half section comprising:

(a) a half of a pedestal portion providing a base for said dispenser,

(b) a half of a cup-shaped portion providing a container support when said halves are mated,

(c) a half of an elongated member integrally joined with said pedestal and said cup-shaped portion along one surface thereof and constituting said structural portion, and

(d) a half of a projection on said pedestal por- 4 tion providing alignable portions of a two-part locking element when said halves are mated,

a flexible hinge of said plastics material joining said half sections at a surface of said elongated members remote from their surfaces integrally joined with said pedestal and cup-shaped portion,

and a locking bar cooperating with said locking element when said halves are mated by hinging along said hinge to assemble said halves as said molded dispenser.

3. A molded dispensing apparatus comprising a pair of molded, thin wall, symmetrical half section members joined to each other at a hinge along the axis of symmetry of said sections,

container supporting elements molded into each of said half sections and adapted to be aligned to cooperate with a portion of a container to be mounted in said apparatus,

a metering element, and supporting means for said metering element molded into each of said half sections adjacent to said container supporting elements, said supporting means including a pair of molded journal surfaces, and a single shoulder cooperating with said metering element to hold said metering element in said dispensing apparatus and to operate as a stop for limiting rotational movement of said metering element in said journal surfaces,

and means including said hinge for aligning said half sections, said container supporting elements, and said metering element supporting means for assembly as said dispensing apparatus and for providing structural strength in said apparatus.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,655,286 10/1953 Barbaro 222 X 2,920,796 1/1960 Field 222185 3,169,675 2/1965 Gutzmann et al. 222-185 X 3,176,881 4/1965 Malby et a1 222177 References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,561,721 7/1951 Ardito. 3,043,354 7/1962 Fitzgerald. 3,092,292 6/1963 Mayer.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

R. CARTER, Examiner. 

1. A MOLDED DISPENSING STAND FOR FLEXIBLE PLASTICS MATERIAL COMPRISING A BASE PORTION, A SUPPORT MEMBER MOLDED TO SAID BASE PORTION, A CONTAINER HOLDER MOLDED TO SAID SUPPORT MEMBER, A REINFORCING RIB MOLDED TO SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AND SAID CONTAINER HOLDER, AND A METERING CUP MOUNTED ON THE BASE OF SAID CONTAINER HOLDER TO PROVIDE A CONTROL FOR A PASSAGE EXTENDING FROM SAID CONTAINER HOLDER TOWARD SAID BASE MEMBER, SAID DISPENSING STAND BEING INITIALLY MOLDED INTWO HALF SECTIONS WITH A THIN SECTION FLEXIBLE HINGE OF SAID PLASTICS MATERIAL JOINING MATING HALF SECTIONS OF SAID REINFORCING RIB AND ATTACHING SAID TWO HALF SECTIONS TO EACH OTHER AND PROVIDING A HINGE SURFACE FOR THE ALIGNMENT OF THE HALF SECTIONS. 